Last year about this time, my 12-year-old daughter and I took a babymoon. I was about to pop, but anxious to take one more trip together before baby #2 came along, so we decided to stay close: Porto!

One low-cost flight later, we landed and headed straight to our first destination: The Yeatman.

The Yeatman is one gorgeous hotel. This sweeping boutique hotel has what must be the best views ever to exist, right over the Douro river. I will be doing a post on Porto itself soon, but until I do, know that it reminds a bit of San Francisco in the sense that it is up and down, nonstop hills.

Yes, I chose one of the most hilly metropolitan areas known for its alcoholic drink for my third-trimester trip. Nice.

The alcoholic drink in question is port—which ranks right up there with vermouth and sherry as wine-ish substances that are incredibly underrated. The Yeatman actually sits right in the middle of the Port bodega section of town, where much of Porto’s port is still produced and bottled.

That explains the hotel’s wine obsession. From the bedroom (pictured above), with a bed in a barrel, to the wine cellar (which you can visit) arranged by regions, the hotel is a big celebration of DRINK. Aka, I need to get back when I am unpregnant, and preferably with a significant other—the grand halls, winding staircase, and terraces looking out over the Portuguese night are terribly romantic.

The restaurant is definitely worth a dinner. We were surrounded by locals when we dined, and it is popular as one of the top “fancier” restaurants in the city.

It’s hard not to feel like royalty cascading down that staircase.

Also, yay for the fact that every room has a terrace. The rooms are stocked with fresh, new hardback books with links to Portugal and wine—I devoured one of them on our three-day stay.

The indoor and outdoor swimming pools are a huge draw. Buckley dipped in and out of both, though I was partial to the infinity pool looking out over Porto. Makes a day spent NOT sightseeing feel somewhat more…productive.

The hotel’s spa is also excellent. It features my absolute favorite spa brand, Caudalie Vinothérapie (I have lotion, shower gel, toner, and perfume from them) and was named Global Winner at the 2020 World Luxury Spa Awards.

The Yeatman feels like a destination hotel, with everything you need to never feel the need to leave. However, it does have the added bonus of being right on Porto’s doorstep!

If you’re anything like Buckley and me, though, you’ll find enough to keep you busy from the gorgeous sun-soaked breakfast looking over the city to the glass of Port overlooking the twinkling night. I LOVE YOU PORTO!

Stay tuned for my blog post about Porto itself.

Rua do Choupelo (Santa Marinha), 345
Vila Nova de Gaia, 4400-088.

+351 22 013 3100
the-yeatman-hotel.com